‘YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF UNTIL THEY COME FOR YOUR FAMILY.
After moving from a small country town to Seattle, Heather Baxter marries Tom, a widowed doctor with a young son and teenage daughter. A working vacation overseas seems like the perfect way to bring the new family together, but once they’re deep in the Australian outback, the jet-lagged and exhausted kids are so over their new mom.
When they discover a remote Dutch Island, off-limits to outside visitors, the family talks their way onto the ferry, taking a chance on an adventure far from the reach of iPhones and Instagram. But as soon as they set foot on the island, which is run by a tightly knit clan of locals, everything feels wrong. Then a shocking accident propels the Baxters from an unsettling situation into an absolute nightmare.
When Heather and the kids are separated from Tom, they are forced to escape alone, seconds ahead of their pursuers. Now it’s up to Heather to save herself and the kids, even though they don’t trust her, the harsh bushland is filled with danger, and the locals want her dead.
Heather has been underestimated her entire life, but she knows that only she can bring her family home again and become the mother the children desperately need, even if it means doing the unthinkable to keep them all alive.’ (Synopsis courtesy of Orion Books.)
I got hold of The Island without really knowing what to expect, other than a recommended thrilling read which was enough for me! Wow. This was indeed one of the most gripping books I’ve read in a long time. I’m sure I stopped breathing at multiple points, I was so on edge! From fairly early on the tension is up there and stays up there throughout, which can’t be easy to write. Every time you think things can’t get worse, they do.
As the synopsis outlines, the story follows a family holiday that goes suddenly and drastically wrong. I found myself whizzing through this novel as I just couldn’t put it down; the pace is fast and it’s just gripping.
It does get quite gory in places so this won’t be for everyone if you’re squeamish. Whilst I wouldn’t want to read this kind of novel all the time, I found this okay and it added to the tension.
My only criticism is that after such an intense book, once everything came to a head, I was left wanting to know more about the aftermath – this seemed quite brief.
The ‘island’ is truly claustrophobic and the whole novel felt very cinematic so it wasn’t a surprise to read this is being adapted and I look forward to watching it one day. This is a tense, fast-paced thriller that’s hard to put down and perfect if you’re in the mood for something dark and dramatic!
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